Friday, August 26, 2011

As part of a cost cutting measure, the BBC has decided to stop transmitting on one satellite frequency / transponder.

The BBC say "By closing a few of the less viewed Red Button video streams on satellite (and hence cable), and moving some TV channels between transponders, we will be able to close a transponder and reduce our distribution costs"

As a result of this, some changes to some of the BBC services will be made.

BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament will be moving frequencies.
The will be moving from the frequency that allows their reception on small satellite dishes in Spain, to frequencies that require large 1.8m or 2.4m satellite dishes in Spain.

During the week commencing 19 September 2011
BBC News will move to new frequency 10803 H 22000-5/6
BBC Alba will move to new frequency 10818 V 22000-5/6
BBC Parliament will move to new frequency 10788 V 22000-5/6

The BBC News frequency is the same as BBC 1 London and BBC2 England, meaning that it may not be available 24/7 even on the larger 2.4m satellite dishes.

Although not clear, it appears that the BBC streams will move to frequency 11954 h 27500 2/3, which is still easily available on a small satellite dish in Spain.

However, this will mean that users of a Sky box or Freesat box with a small satellite dish will no longer be able to access the Sports streams, as they will be unable to access a BBC channel that gives them the "BBC Menu".

"Generic" free to air receivers should still be able to receive these channels, if they move to frequency 11954, as these types of receivers can access the channels directly, without the need for going via a BBC Menu system.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Four arrested in Spain for illegally distributing copyright films on the Net

A Civil Guard operation in Valencia and Zaragoza has arrested four people for illegally distributing copyrighted films and series on the Net without permission.

Their web pages offered some 1,500 films and series which were available, for either free download or through P2P file sharing, through a subnet which users had to be invited to join. In return, the users would contribute other audiovisual material.

The group would also replace original audio on foreign films with dubbed dialogue recorded when the films were shown in Spanish cinemas.

The Civil Guard said in a press release on Wednesday that the operation followed a complaint from the FAP Federation for the Protection of Intellectual Property and the movies portal, Comunidad Filmin.

source: typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_31720.shtml

There have been past cases where some judges have rules that P2P (peer to peer) file sharing is OK for personal use and archive use. However once you give the material to friends, or receive a payment for the material, its a criminal matter and you are in breach of copyright laws.

Which is presumably what has happened in this case as the system was not for personal use, but rather for redistribution...

Many UK Freeview boxes do work in Spain and you can use a Freeview receiver / set top box in Spain.

The UK Freeview receiver will only receive the Spanish digital TV channels.

A UK Freeview set top box will NOT be able to receive UK TV channels like BBC ITV C4 and Five in Spain.

This is beacuase the Freeview box connects to a TV aerial, and in Spain only SPanish TV vchannels are available via a TV aerial.

Just like in the UK where you can only receive the UK Freeview channels via a TV aerial and not the SPansih TV channels in the UK via a TV aerial.

However, there may be some problems with using a UK Freeview set top box in Spain.

Firstly, you must ensure the box can scan frequency 69 – a frequency that is not used in the UK but it is in Spain.

Also UK boxes may not be able to change programmes into their original language as some UK boxes are programmed to look for English, Welsh and Gaelic language “tags”, where as in Spain they use different language tags like “Dos” or “VO” (Version Original), or “Multi” or “Und”, SET does use an “English” tag.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

According to reports, a recent software update to Freesat Humax FOXSAT-HDR receivers has meant that in some cases, a "please wait" message is displayed for around 30-40 seconds when trying to access the TV Guide.

Humax have said that "The reason for the change is due to increased EPG data being sent by Freesat above the specification, we have temporarily delayed scheduling programmes until the EPG downloads to resolve lockup issues. We are currently working with Freesat for a solution to the issue."

A work-around is available. Pressing the SCHEDULE button, followed by the RED button allow you to see the EPG data from the receiver cache memory. As this information is in the receiver cache, it may not be up-to-date, and will only update to correct information by using the correct GUIDE option.

However, due to the broadcast agreements, the channels on Sky TV do not have the correct broadcast contracts to allow their programming to be available in Spain. In fact, many of those TV programmes on the Sky channels may have already been bought for viewing in Spain by the Spanish TV broadcasters like TVE, or Cuatro, or LA Sexta or their satellite TV service Digital+.

The Spanish broadcasters will have bought the rights to show those programmes in Spain. So the channels on Sky TV would not be allowed to show them...unless they too paid for the Spanish TV rights.

These rights agreement and contracts are controlled on the Sky TV pay system by the use of satellite viewing card, or Sky cards. These cards allow the viewing with a subscription of the channels on the Sky TV system. These Sky TV cards are only issued to UK addresses.

However, many people use a friend or family members UK address to register a card that is then used in Spain.

The use of a Sky viewing card in Spain is not illegal. It is only against the terms and conditions of use of that Sky card. If the use of a Sky card in Spain was illegal then the card owner would be jailed. As it is a contractual matter between the user and Sky, should one of those partners in that agreement break the terms of the contract, like using the Sky TV card in Spain, then all Sky TV can do is to discontinue the card and cut of the Sky Pay TV channels.

Friday, August 19, 2011

But, due to the various advertising regions, you may be allocated the "Freesat TV " version of channel Five.
This Freesat Channel Five requires no Sky card to watch, but in many areas of Spain it may not be available 24/7.

The frequency for this free to air version of channel Five is 10773 h 22000 5/6.
This is the same frequency as BBC2 England.

The Free to view version of Channel Five is only available on Sky TV boxes.
This free to view vresion of Channel Five requries a working Sky card.
This Sky TV version of channel Five is on a different frequency to its free to air versions.

The frequency for this free to view version of channel Five is 12442 h 27.5 2/3.
Also on this Channel Five Frequency are the sister channels of Five* and Five USA.

It is thought that one reason for this change is the fact that their old frequency was prone to interference from DECT / wireless phones, BT homehubs, some wireless internet routers and some home equipment. Some of the channel even run adverts saying if you are having interferance and channel drop outs, then move your DECT / wireless phone or internet roouter away from the satellite receiver and cabling.

If you use a Sky box or a freesat box then the changes will be done automatically.

If you are using a non sky or non freesat receiver - a generic receiver - then, should you wish to still receive these channels then you will need to perform a rescan of the new frequency.

Monday, August 8, 2011

It is regarded as a luxury that allows people to watch top sport and blockbuster movies from the comfort of their armchairs.

But owning a satellite dish is actually a human right, according to unelected European judges.

In an extraordinary ruling, lawmakers in Strasbourg have warned that banning dishes on listed buildings, social housing and even private homes could breach the right to freedom of expression by preventing people from practice religion.

The judgement is a huge blow to campaigners who have fought to stop the large metal dishes blighting the brickwork of historic buildings and rental properties.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Britain’s discrimination watchdog, has now published new guidance warning that landlords could be at risk of being sued if they try to stop their tenants putting up a satellite dish.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps said that the ruling, under the Human Rights Act, threatened to drive ‘a horse and cart’ through planning laws.

Two tenants in Sweden took their government to court after they were evicted by their landlord in a dispute over a dish.

The couple installed one of the dishes on their rented property but the landlord ordered them to take it down. They refused and were later thrown out of the property.

But European judges ruled that the Swedish government had failed in its obligation to protect the couple’s right to receive information. It found that satellite dishes come under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Commission’s Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein said: ‘The right to use a satellite dish [is] one of the many concrete benefits for European consumers of the free movement of goods and services within the internal market.

‘Satellite dishes are an increasingly popular tool for receiving multiple services via satellite: they facilitate mutual exchanges between our various cultures by overcoming national borders, and familiarise the general public with the new remote communications technologies. Their use must therefore be free from any unjustified obstacle.’

However, further reading suggets that a satellite dish is required so that people can receive news and information. It does not specify what sized dish is required to receive news and information. So it does not say that the installation of a 2.4m dish is automatically granted. In fact it could be argued that BBC News and BBC WOrld News, both available on smaller 80cm satellite dishes, is more than enough to satisfy the EU rules on receiving of news and information in your own language

Real Digital are a company that says it will offer a range of free to air satellite TV channels, and a range of pay channels. The system was said to launch early January 2011, but there have been some delays.

Real Digital will, like Freesat, offer all the free to air UK TV channels, including the 5 HD channels, BBC1HD, BBCHD,ITV1HD, C4 HD and NHK World HD. But Real Digital say that they will also be able to offer some subscription channels. Real Digital say that they will off channels like Sky Sports, without the need of subscribing to other pay channels, which is currently the can on the Sky TV system. According to reports Sky SPorts 1 and Sky Sports 2 may be available, and for a lot less than it costs to subscribe to Sky, thanks tot he ruling by OFCOM that Sky must offer its channels at a competitive and fair price to other operators.

The system will use the same satellites and frequencies as requried by Sky and Freesat receivers. It will also be restricted to UK only users, just like the Sky and Freesta services, but I am sure that ways around this may well be found.

Real Digital have released a top ten Q&A for their system.

Q. When will REAL Digital be launching its service and where can I buy a box?

A. 1st of September 2011 is the official launch date for the Free To Air service. The first boxes will be available from Maplin.

Q. How much will a REAL Digital Set Top Box cost?

A. There will be 2 types of set top boxes available, one from Fortec Star (a single tuner HD unit, with an RRP of £159.99), and a REAL+ HD box from DIGITAL STREAM, which has twin tuners and a built in 500GB hard drive so you can record one channel while watching another. This will have a RRP of £299.99.

Q. I already have a Sky/Freesat satellite dish will I need a new one or any home visit?

A. You will not need a new dish or any adjustment as long as the dish currently works correctly. You can simply plug the satellite dish (LNB) cable into the (LNB) connection on the back of the REAL set top box and just follow the simple on screen set up guide. You can then start watching any of the hundreds of Free To Air channels without any subscription or you can add additional Pay TV channels as they become available.

Q. What HD channels would I get without a Pay TV subscription?

A. BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD/STV HD, Channel 4 HD and NHK World HD.

Q. Will I have to enter a 12 month Pay TV contract to get Sky Sports?

A. No REAL Digital believes you should be free to choose how long you want to Pay for Sports channels, so you can Pay on a month by month basis.

Q. What makes REAL Digital different to Sky TV or freesat?

A. REAL Digital will not make you take out a satellite subscription before you can add Premium channels like Sky Sports or make it a minimum 12 month contract to get the Sky Sports channels. Compared to freesat, REAL Digital will be listing many more channels and be including a easy to use EPG TV Guide. So you will have more Free TV to watch AND you'll have the option to add Pay TV channels you want.

Q. What if I don't have a HD TV can I still use a REAL Digital box?

A. You can still watch a REAL Digital set top box even on a Standard Definition box when you connect it to the scart connection. However you won't get the High Definition picture quality unless you connect the REAL Digital box to a HD ready TV using a HDMI cable.

Q. Will there be any new channels that I don't currently get launching on REAL Digital?

A. Yes there already a number of new Pay TV channels planning on launching this year on REAL Digital.

Q. How do I get a REAL Digital Smartcard?

A. All REAL Digital Set Top Boxes have a REAL Digital Smartcard included in the with the packaging all you need to do is follow the instructions to activate the card

Q. Will the REAL Digital remote control work with my TV as well?

A. Yes the REAL Digital remote controls are universal TV remotes as well. You will simply need the correct code for your make of TV.

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